A striking wall art piece resembling a butterfly, crafted from various materials including metal, leather, and paper. The central mask features intricate details, with white and brown wings adorned with embellishments, creating a vibrant, textured display.
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Jakob Rowlinson: ROTATOR

From 18 July 2026 YSP Centre

About Jakob Rowlinson: ROTATOR

ROTATOR is Jakob Rowlinson’s first institutional project, presented as an installation in our Visitor Centre and a solo exhibition, REVIVER at The Art House in Wakefield, having developed from a 2024 collaborative residency between both organisations. Spanning across the two venues, this new body of work weaves together complex material histories, explores the ecology of the Park's landscape, and continues the artist’s interest in queering the archive. Rowlinson merges the sacred and profane, drawing on religious and folkloric imagery such as angels, demons and green men, and combining them with contemporary queer fashion and fetish references.

Suspended above the Visitor Centre concourse, ROTATOR features three large-scale leather sculptures that act as guardians of the threshold between indoors and outdoors. Coloured using handmade oak-gall dyes foraged from trees within the Park, they reference Yorkshire’s historic importance in the leather tanning industry. At the heart of each sculpture is a two-faced head, like modern Janus figures. Created from reclaimed leather garments that are relics of bodily history, the material is revived in both form and meaning. Spiralling out from this central point are wing-like forms whose patterns draw inspiration from orange-tip and comma butterflies that Rowlinson saw in the Park, and whose metamorphic cycles represent themes of self-renewal and transformation.

ROTATOR coincides with Rowlinson’s solo exhibition REVIVER at The Art House on display 18 July – 12 September 2026.

  • A vibrant, abstract wall sculpture featuring a central face surrounded by an array of red and brown feathers. The piece combines intricate patterns and textures, creating a striking visual impact against a plain white background.
  • An abstract wall sculpture featuring a vibrant turquoise design with intricate patterns and circular elements. The piece resembles a flower or starburst, combining organic shapes and textures, creating a dynamic visual impact against a plain background.
  • A large, intricate butterfly sculpture made from various materials, including metal and wood. The wings are adorned with gears, feathers, and organic shapes, showcasing a blend of natural and industrial elements against a plain white background.

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